


A Moment Like This

by albermale



Category: The School for Good and Evil - Soman Chainani
Genre: Arbed house, Fluff, M/M, Mild Angst, OR IS IT, Platonic Cuddling, Pre-tale of sophie and agatha, Roommates, no direct romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-18 11:14:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28866108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/albermale/pseuds/albermale
Summary: But it was funny nonetheless, so he couldn't help replying, "You're confident in charming an entire kingdom, but you're afraid you won't be able to win the heart of a girl?"-Kei and Rhian are roommates in Arbed. One night once Kei comes back from practice, Rhian spills his troubles regarding the plot to claim his kingship.A very fluffy fill-in-fic that's kinda cringe but give it a chance? lol
Relationships: Kei/Rhian (The School for Good and Evil)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 8





	A Moment Like This

**Author's Note:**

> The brunt of this was made in July, so it isn't that.. great. But hey, proud of myself for actually finishing something for once (I picked it up after like more than half a year lol).Enjoy!

Kei quietly opened the door to his Arbed dormitory and looked around the fire-lit room, eyes warily searching for a stirring body. But the twin bed was empty and the red covers were untouched. Uncertain, he fully opened the door and gently stepped inside.

“On the desk, really,” he muttered.

Rhian lay on the desk in the middle of their room, still in the clothes from earlier that day. He was resting on top of papers of— Kei wasn’t too sure, but his roommate’s drool would likely get to them soon. He sighed as he walked over to Rhian. Dork.

Kei tapped his friend on the head and Rhian lazily opened his eyes. “Back already?” He said. Honestly with the way he was mumbling, it was barely comprehensible, but with how close Kei stood he understood.

“Yeah. What were you up to?”

“Just this and that,” He yawned. The papers beneath the boy were revealed as he sat up stretching his arms and slumped back against the chair. Some were frayed and yellowed, littered with little notes and highlights, while others were black on white. Sometimes blank, while others were mostly filled with a trying cursive and the repeated words “Camelot”, “Pen”, “King”, “Queen”. Kei frowned at the familiar papers.

He opened his mouth as if to speak, but a quick, scribbled drawing on one of the papers caught his eye.

What was _that?_

It seemed like a girl wearing a crown, but the face was blotched out in ink. Curiously, Kei took the sheet of parchment from the desk. Only to see more and more drawings of girls of all sizes, types of hair and shades of skin. But like the first, ink was promptly blocking out their faces and an ornate crown sat on their heads.

Kei frowned and nudged his sleepy roommate with his foot. “What’s this?” He asked, looking at Rhian’s face.

“What’s what.” Rhian sat up properly, rubbed his eyes and blinked. Kei raised his eyebrows, parchment in hand. Rhian blinked again. “Oh. Those. They’re drawings,” he said simply to his friend, but his fingers fidgeted and Kei knew he was uneasy.

Obviously, they were drawings (even if they weren’t the best ones), and it wasn’t odd to see his friend draw. No, it was whoever he had drawn that had surprised him.

Kei ran a hand through his hair and he incidentally smelt the stench coming from his underarms, his legs, his feet— his everywhere really, salty and pungent. God, he needed to take a bath. Maybe he could return to this later, or he could pretend he’d never seen the drawings.

He was making his way to the bathroom when Rhian’s voice stopped him. “I was getting frustrated with planning, you know, things,” He started. Though Rhian wasn’t looking at him, Kei could see his eyes flicker to the papers and he knew what his friend was talking about.

Kei waited for more, but nothing came. So with a sigh, he walked back to the desk and pulled up the stool next to Rhian. “Who did you draw?” He asked carefully. Kei was almost certain he knew who it was Rhian had drawn. Even if each girl was completely different one to the other, it was clear, but still, he feigned innocence. If only for his roommate to feel at ease. As he waited for an answer, Kei’s gaze didn’t stray from his friend, his face resting on his hand with a patient expression.

Finally, Rhian answered, daring a look toward Kei “It’s meant to be my... future Queen.”

—

Oh, how Rhian found it stupid. It was embarrassing, completely and utterly humiliating. He was destined to be crowned King of Camelot, he knew that. And in that fate, he would marry a girl, someone who didn’t even yet know of his existence. He couldn’t even begin to start imagining her either.

So when he’d grown tired of going over the ‘new and improved’ plan Japeth had slid him earlier during dinner, he couldn’t help the thoughts that came to him. It was scary, the unknown. He’d done his best to draw it out, express all his thoughts and worries about the future that awaited him.

Eventually, he began drawing her, his Queen. But it wasn’t right. No, none of it was right. So he crossed out each face and tried again, and again, and again.

Yet now sitting across his best friend he felt like a little kid. It wasn’t meant to be cheesy, but it felt like it. Kei was looking at him, waiting for him to go on. He looked understanding, but he probably found the drawings as childish as he did.

In his unease, Rhian braved a question. “So, what do you think of them?” He tried swallowing his embarrassment, but his hands still fiddled around.

Kei took the drawing in hand and as his eyes finally left his roommate, Rhian sat still.

“They’re nice,” Kei said simply, and his eyes wandered back to Rhian, hesitant as if to ask something. Rhian didn’t let him and quickly threw him more papers saying, “I have more. It’s not only her.”

Kei raised an eyebrow as he picked them up and Rhian swallowed. 

The other drawings were also covered in failed depictions of his supposed Queen, the main subject covering the pages. But it was a better distraction from his anxieties than any, Rhian thought. He had also drawn Excalibur, himself with an elaborate Lion’s mask, as well as many other things like what he imagined the palace life might be, before he had returned to the drawings of his Queen.

Rhian watched as Kei flitted through the pages, a frown on his face. It was a particular frown that Rhian had seen many times, a face his best friend would make whenever he was worried about him. It usually made him smile because of how needlessly worrisome his friend would be when really, there was no need to worry at all. But then, at that moment, it made him feel nervous. Could Kei sense his anxiousness?

Kei turned a page and his frown disappeared. He almost looked surprised for a second, with his eyes widening, but his expression returned neutral.

Rhian let go of a breath and smiled. “Just some drawings.”

—

As if Kei forgot he wasn’t alone, after hearing Rhian’s voice he snapped to attention and dropped the papers. His cheeks slightly pinked but his face stayed blank.

Kei stood and the armchair squeaked, making Rhian wince. Right, Rhian had been sleeping when he arrived earlier and now the clock slowly ticked its way to midnight. “Get into bed, it’s late,” he told his friend.

Rhian gathered the papers into a pile and yawned, leaning over for a copy of some Camelot tale and placed them inside at a random page, sneakily placing it back on the shelf. “Fine, fine, I will.”

_Finally._ Kei turned towards the bathing chambers, oh-so-ready for a warm and steamy bath to clean him of the sweat and grime of the late evening practice, but stopped short once again at his roommate’s voice.

“Carry me.”

Not a question, but a command. Kei stepped back and rolled his eyes, but couldn’t help laughing at his friend’s absurdity.

The armchair screeched wood on wood as Kei grabbed Rhian and tossed him over his shoulder, ignoring the boy grumbling something about carrying him princess style.

And yet, more complaints.

“Nasty, you’re sweaty.”

Kei scoffed.

Heaving him with heavy steps over to the bed, Kei said, “You know, I think you’ve already found your Queen.” He threw Rhian onto the bed carefully and leaned over, an arm on the side.

Rhian looked back up at his roommate, confused. “Who?”

Kei stared a moment too long and stood back up, grabbing a towel and throwing it over his shoulder much like he did to Rhian mere seconds prior. Before stepping into the bathing chambers he looked back at his roommate and grinned.

“You.”

His laughs resonated through the room as he closed the door behind him.

“Oh _piss off!”_

—

Rhian puffed his cheeks but still couldn’t help laughing.

But suddenly alone with his thoughts, Rhian thought of what just happened.

Thinking about how his brother would've frowned at it had he been there made him shift in the sheets. Anxious. Hesitant. _Vulnerable_. The opposite of what he was meant to be.

He didn't want to act all high and mighty just yet, sure he was turning 18 soon and he'd be able to leave this place for good but— 

He didn't feel like a King. So why should he act like one? Especially to his own best friend who he was sure would risk anything for him either way.

Rhian lay in the bed and closed his eyes, listening to the rhythmic sounds of the water pouring into the bath. Yes, it was stupid to act like he had any sort of authority. The way he'd acted earlier—no matter what his brother thought—was fine. 

And maybe it was stupid too how he’d completely deflected his insecurities to his friend when he sat there patiently listening. Because Kei could be trusted, and he cared. And Rhian was a fool for even thinking for a second he might be neither.

The door flew open and Rhian felt warmth and humidity brush his face. 

—

A few steps toward the bed and he felt it bounce, Kei settling himself in the bed. He didn't say anything for a moment and then scooted closer to his roommate, staring at his red bundle of hair.

"You awake?" He whispered. Rhian didn't respond for a few seconds, but then he nodded. Kei picked up that it wasn’t only because he was tired and didn't question him about it.

His roommate sank his head into the pillow and sighed, allowing his exhausted muscles to get comfortable before he closed his eyes, and waited to be brought to a deep slumber. But Rhian spoke and his ears perked to attention.

"I'm sorry about before. I didn't mean to avoid you like that." Kei took a breath and opened his eyes, Rhian now facing him in the bed. "Can I vent?"

Rhian had to admit, if Kei had hesitated for even a second he would've laughed and turned around and swallowed his embarrassment, acting like it was nothing.

But Kei looked him in the eye, his gaze warm and patient and responded with a quiet yeah right away.

Rhian stared awkwardly. Where to begin? He felt like there was so much going on these past few weeks, but now with the opportunity to talk about it, he wasn't so sure what exactly he wanted to say. Honestly, it almost felt like looking back, maybe he'd been exaggerating everything. The people close to him did call him melodramatic constantly, so maybe it was nothing. Kei lay there waiting calmly for his friend to speak.

And eventually, he did.

"What if she doesn't like me?" Rhian blurted before he could stop himself. There. He said something. And just saying that he felt a little more relaxed. A little bit more at ease.

Kei meanwhile, smiled and stopped himself from letting out a laugh. His friend was opening up his heart to him, it would seem insensitive if he did. But it was funny nonetheless, so he couldn't help replying, "You're confident in charming an entire kingdom, but you're afraid you won't be able to win the heart of a girl?" It was ironic.

Kei was right, wasn't he? It was stupid to think that way. And yet, "She won't just be a girl, she'll share my life, my bed. Those aren't things I want to give out freely."

He stopped and frowned. "I'd honestly rather— I'd rather she love me, more than I not love her.”

Saying it settled the idea he’d been unintentionally holding for the shortest while. He waited for Kei to say something in response, advice, acknowledgement or anything. Wanted to hear a voice other than himself to see if he was crazy or not in thinking this.

Kei sidled closer to him and slid his arms around his friend. “Rhian, man,” he wheezed. “What then? You always care so much about image, but how’ll you ever be happy if you only care about what people think?”

“I want to be loved. That makes me happy,” he said. “As long as people love me more than my brother—”

Holding him closer, Kei smiled. “I don’t think you need me to tell you about that.” Rhian sniffed a little and Kei hesitated. “But if it reassures you, I’m sure that won’t be the case anytime soon.”

Rhian continued to sniffle, breathing rapidly and laughing airily. “Sorry I don’t know— I don’t — ha, don’t know why—“

“It’s fine.”

Kei held his friend quietly as the pace of his breathing quickened.

Rhian delicately repositioned himself and lay in silence for a moment. “You know, I’m gonna miss this once I’m king and all.”

“Hm?”

“Moments like these. You’re very... warm.”

“Won’t you have your dear Queen to cuddle, your majesty?”

Rhian snickered and lightly elbowed Kei in the stomach. He turned his head and looked over to his roommate, meeting his eyes in the darkness. “Maybe we’ll sneak you in the middle,” he suggested.

“Not sure her highness will be too happy with that one.”

“Thought we were talking about my happiness here.”

The clock chimed twice announcing to the world that morning had come, but the boys continued to chat away till they fell asleep, warm in the familiar comfort of each other's arms.

**Author's Note:**

> The drawing that surprised Kei was meant to be of him and Rhian as knight and king, but I got lazy in adding it ah well. Also MY GOD I need to learn some other words than frowned


End file.
